
Headlines: Cheltenham Festival and 'one in a million' birth
Here is our weekly roundup of stories from across local websites in the West of England.We have a daily round up as well. Make sure you look out for it on the website and the local section of the BBC News app.
What have been the big stories in the West this week?
Cheltenham Festival has been the talk of the week. A man who got tickets for him and his dad but went alone after his father died has been viewed thousands of times. And Cheltenham Borough Council posted about its safe space for women under 18 during race week.There is just an 'E' left to paint before the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood is complete, Bristol Live reports. Work was abandoned because of protests by residents.Wiltshire 999s has published an article about a man admitting to having sex with a Shetland pony in a Wiltshire stables, who will be sentenced in May.ITV West Country has covered a 'one in a million' birth in Somerset. Five lambs have been born from the same ewe at a farm in Shapwick.And in more animal news – kind of – a video of Bristol comedian Jayde Adams singing Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club' in a Bristol accent has gone super viral.
Top five local stories for the BBC in the West
Something longer to read
Somerset Live has published an article about how shopping and hospitality has changed since Covid. To mark five years since the beginning of the pandemic, the website has done a lookback on what has changed.
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Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Loose Women star on 'worst thing' about ITV chat show - branding it 'ludicrous'
Carol McGiffin was one of Loose Women's original panellists, having first appeared on the series in 2000 before she quit in 2023 after she claimed she was 'unhappy' with her contract Loose Women's Carol McGiffin has lifted the lid on what she says was the worst part of working on the ITV talk show. The no-nonsense presenter, 65, was one of the show's original panellists, having first appeared on the series in 2000 before she left in 2023 after she claimed she was 'unhappy' with her contract. Carol, who was once married to TFI star, Chris Evans, was part of the Loose Women line-up for 20 years, on and off, and has now said that the show's 'strict dress' code left her 'exhausted'. Claiming show bosses had "ludicrous policies" for the ladies, she said: "I did Loose Women for almost 20 years and the mandated dress codes used to exhaust me." Speaking to Best magazine, she continued: "We went from wearing our own clothes to being bought stuff to adhere to ludicrous wardrobe policies like, 'No arms on show,' presumably because our ageing biceps were morphing into bingo wings, which the (male) boss at the time had decided were offensive. "Another female (!) boss once ordered all the women to wear high heels as well. I always loathed being 'dressed' or 'styled' as they preferred to call it." Carol also blasted ITV for getting rid of outfits that had "mostly" only been worn once by the presenters. She said: "You always had to be co-ordinated up to the eyeballs in nice slacks, wrap dresses or boiler suits. "It used to make me shudder, nearly as much as the insane amount of waste on unimaginable amounts of clothes that had mostly only been worn once." Carol first joined Loose Women in 2000 and remained on the show until 2013, and returned in 2018. Five years later she left the panel, claiming she was left 'upset' after being 'forced' into the decision due to being unhappy with her contract, which she claimed was "totally unjust and unworkable". Prior to Carol's departure, a disagreement is said to have broken out between the presenter and bosses at ITV over free speech and expression. During an interview with TNT talk radio, Carol said: "I always look back at when I started working in television and radio as the good old days because they were much less policed, I suppose. Much less restricted and it was a freer place to be. "When I look back at the old Loose Womens I used to do from 2000 all the way until I left in 2013, they're completely different. There is so much offence. People take so much offence at so much and they never used to." Tensions reportedly began to grow between Carol and her employer over comments she made in suggestion that the news organisation had been 'brainwashing' the public over the risks of coronavirus. The panellist also suggested that Matt Hancock attempted to import Covid patients to the UK from France to fill empty hospital beds as the pandemic was in full swing. In 2023, Carol confirmed that she would be parting ways with the ITV show after a two-month absence and insisted she was "upset" to leave.


The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Explainer: Why did the Edinburgh book festival move?
Nearly 700 events have just been announced for its 2025 programme, which will include award-winning stars of stage and screen, along with best-selling authors, broadcasters, politicians, sporting celebrities, stand-up comics and musicians. Read more: An overall audience of more than 100,000 is expected to events ranging in size from intimate gatherings for just a few dozen people around the historic NHS campus, which is now home to the Edinburgh Futures Institutes, to the 1000-capacity galas at the McEwan Hall. The Edinburgh International Book Festival was staged for three years at Edinburgh College of Art. (Image: EIBF) Other events will be staged at the nearby National Library of Scotland and Dynamic Earth, the science centre on the doorstep of the Scottish Parliament. The 2025 festival will be a far cry from its earliest incarnation, which was conceived as a one-off event when it was staged in 1983, when there were only two other literary festivals in the UK. The McEwan Hall hosts the biggest events in the Edinburgh International Book Festival programme. (Image: Mihaela Bodlovic) But that first edition was seen as a huge success thanks to appearances from the likes of Anthony Burgess, John Updike, PD James and Melvyn Bragg. Other authors invited to the city by founding director Jenny Brown included Doris Lessing, William McIlvanney, Liz Lochhead, Joan Lingard and Malcolm Bradbury. The Edinburgh International Book Festival is now mostly staged at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. (Image: Chris Scott) The festival would return every two years until 1997, when it became an annual fixture due to its growing popularity in Charlotte Square Garden. By the turn of the century, the book festival was playing host to 350 authors in Charlotte Square and the event played a huge part in Edinburgh being named the world's first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004. Growing visitor numbers and pressure to reduce the impact of the event on the privately-owned garden led to the event expanding onto George Street for the first time. Although the festival had resisted calls from heritage campaigners to consider relocating the event, they agreed to do exactly that in 2021, when the event returned following the lifting of Covid restrictions, with a small-scale festival staged at Edinburgh College of Art. The following year festival director Nick Barley sprung a surprise with an announcement that a long-term agreement had been reached with Edinburgh University to stage the event at the new Edinburgh Futures Institute in future. Another two editions of the festival were staged at the art school before the literary celebrated took over the former hospital site last August, weeks after the university's revamp was unveiled, under a new director, Jenny Niven. She announced a new partnership with long-time Fringe promoters and producers Underbelly to allow the biggest events with authors to go ahead at the McEwan Hall, where former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, stage and screen star Ruth Jones, Gavin & Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones and Scottish football favourite Ally McCoist.


Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Countryfile star emotional as he quits family farm with 'disinterested kids'
Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson has opened up on what the future holds for his family as he prepares to leave his farm in the Cotswolds when the tenancy runs out Countryfile's Adam Henson has shared a poignant moment, declaring "it's the end of an era" as he contemplates leaving his beloved farm in the Cotswolds once the tenancy expires. The well-known TV presenter and farmer resides on the expansive 650-hectare Cotswolds Farm Park estate with his wife Charlie. He revealed their plans to relocate to a nearby bungalow, acknowledging that their children have chosen different paths and won't be taking over the agricultural reins. Off-camera, Adam dedicates himself to running the family farm, continuing the vision his father Joe initiated in 1971. Speaking to the Daily Express, he reminisced: "My dad was ahead of his time by opening a farm for people to come and visit, bottle-feed a lamb or hold a chick." Adam recalled his own childhood enthusiasm for farming, contrasting it with his children's career choices: "While I was pulling on my wellies and chasing my dad out of the door to join him on the farm, my own children aren't interested in a career in farming." He acknowledged his children's capabilities but noted their different professional directions: "Sure, they can lamb a sheep and drive a tractor, but my daughter lives in Perth as an events organiser and my son is a financial advisor in Leeds." Looking ahead, he shared their future plans: "So when the tenancy runs out in 12 years' time, Charlie and I are moving to a bungalow close by in Winchcombe, where we have a few acres and will keep a few sheep and the dogs." Despite the change, Adam expressed his enduring affection for the rural landscape: "It will be the end of an era, but I will still be able to enjoy the lovely countryside." In a heartfelt conversation with Reach PLC, Adam revealed the tough challenges he's faced in his life, opening up about his wife's battle with cancer, the heartbreaking loss of his parents, and his nephew. Adam expressed, "My characteristics are that I am an upbeat person, and I have got an incredibly supportive family, wife, and children, and people around me. "And within the business, I have got a business partner who I was at Agricultural College with and he is one of my closest friends and what we do is surround ourselves with people that are excellent within their own role in the business. Whether that is a manager or a farm manager, and we work really closely with the team and we are all very honest and open with one another." He went on to share, "I have had some very difficult times in my life, both in business and personally. My wife was very ill a few years ago, my parents dying, and I lost a nephew." Despite numerous hurdles such as foot and mouth disease, the Covid pandemic, and other personal tribulations, Adam credits his mental resilience to the robust support system he has built, "We have gone through foot and mouth challenges, Covid, and we have had some tough times, but I've never had poor mental health because I've had that fantastic support system around me."